Laser Incising of Wood: A review

Subhasisa Nath, David Waugh, Graham Ormondroyd, Morwenna Spear, Andy Pitman, Simon Curling, Paul Mason

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)
    167 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Preservative treatment is necessary to provide adequate service lives in products manufactured from low durability timbers. However, the low permeability of the heartwoods of many species leads to poor preservative uptake and penetration. To improve treatment, incising has been used to produce new flow paths. Laser incising is effective at improving flow of preservative into wood and is said to produce less mechanical damage and loss of strength than conventional mechanical incising. This review provides an overview of laser incision of woods, including the effects of laser types (wavelength and pulse duration) on incision rate, preservative treatability/retention in wood and structural changes to the wood. Best practices and further areas for development for laser incising of wood are also presented and discussed.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)381-403
    Number of pages23
    JournalLasers in Engineering
    Volume45
    Issue number4-6
    Publication statusPublished - 13 Mar 2020

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

    Keywords

    • Incision
    • Lasers
    • Treatability
    • Wavelength preservative treatment
    • Wood

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
    • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
    • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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